Uric Acid

What Uric Acid Measures

Uric acid is what's left after the body breaks down purines, compounds that are part of DNA and RNA and that also occur naturally in some foods.^[1] That breakdown happens mainly in the liver, though it can occur in any tissue that contains the enzyme xanthine oxidase.^[1] Dietary purines account for about a third of the body's daily uric acid production, and the rest comes from the routine turnover of the body's own cells.^[1]

Once it's produced, uric acid circulates mostly in an ionized form called urate.^[1] The kidneys clear about two-thirds of it, filtering urate and then reabsorbing most of what gets filtered, while roughly a third passes into the intestine instead.^[1] That split between renal and intestinal clearance is part of why uric acid levels can shift with kidney function, not just with diet.

How It's Measured

Uric acid is measured from a standard blood draw and reported as serum uric acid. It's often ordered alongside kidney function tests like creatinine and BUN, since the kidneys handle most of its clearance. Each lab sets and reports its own reference interval with the result.

Why People Track Uric Acid

Uric acid comes up most often in two very different contexts. One is joint health: when uric acid builds up beyond what stays dissolved in blood, it can crystallize into monosodium urate deposits in a joint, triggering an immune response that produces sudden joint pain, redness, and swelling.^[2] The other is pregnancy monitoring. Because the kidneys clear most circulating uric acid, and preeclampsia involves changes in kidney function, uric acid is one of the values sometimes included in preeclampsia-related lab work, alongside blood pressure and other kidney markers.^[3]

In a 2019 study of pregnant women with preeclampsia or eclampsia, maternal serum uric acid was measured routinely as part of clinical practice, and higher levels were associated with a greater likelihood of preterm birth and other adverse newborn outcomes.^[3] A more recent review describes uric acid's rise in preeclampsia as connected to reduced kidney filtration and oxidative stress, alongside its more established role as a kidney-function marker.^[4]

How Go Go Gaia Tracks Uric Acid

Go Go Gaia doesn't draw blood or run lab work. If you have a serum uric acid result from a blood draw you've already had done, you can upload it, and the app stores it as a dated data point in your account. From there it's charted over time next to your other lab results and logged health data, including pregnancy tracking if that applies to you.

What the Research Shows

Uric acid's excretion splits two ways: about two-thirds clears through the kidneys and roughly a third passes into the intestine, with the kidneys reabsorbing most of what they filter.^[1]

StatPearls describes gout as the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in joints and surrounding tissue, setting off an immune response, including neutrophils and inflammatory signaling, that produces an acute attack.^[2]

In a study of pregnant women with preeclampsia and eclampsia, maternal serum uric acid was measured as routine clinical practice, and higher levels were tied to a greater likelihood of preterm birth and other adverse newborn outcomes.^[3] A 2025 review describes uric acid's rise in preeclampsia as connected to reduced kidney filtration and to oxidative stress generated during purine breakdown, alongside its longer-established role as a marker of kidney function.^[4]

Related Terms

Frequently Asked Questions

Educational information based on published sources. Not medical advice. For personal concerns, please consult your doctor.

Does Go Go Gaia run uric acid blood tests?

No. Go Go Gaia doesn't draw blood or run labs. You get a uric acid result from a blood draw ordered through a clinician or lab service, then upload it to your account so it's stored and charted alongside your other tracked data.

Why is uric acid sometimes measured during pregnancy?

Uric acid is cleared mainly by the kidneys, and preeclampsia involves changes in kidney function, so uric acid is one of the values sometimes included in preeclampsia-related lab work alongside blood pressure and other kidney markers. It's a value clinicians track as part of a broader picture, not a stand-alone diagnostic test.

How is uric acid related to gout?

When uric acid builds up beyond what stays dissolved in the blood, it can crystallize into monosodium urate deposits in joints. Those crystals trigger an immune response that produces the sudden joint pain, redness, and swelling associated with a gout attack.